For those planning to move into Australia, migration issues are definitely important things to think about. And one of the major issues that visa applicants need to look into is that of human rights in the country. This one is very important in order to be sure that you will be able to settle in easily in the country. For the most part, Australia currently has a good track record with regards to human rights. Even if it is the only western democratic country which has no written bill of rights, plenty of laws were enacted in order to protect people's rights. And the idea of human rights and equality has also been deeply ingrained in the population as a whole, which is why they are rather very reactive with regards to such issues.
However, contrary to what many people might think, this has not always been the case in the country. In fact, Australia's history chronicles many instances of intense struggle to attain individual rights. The country was initially started as a penal colony for convicts from Britain in the 1700's. Here, they were often treated as second class citizens in contrast to the freemen that arrived with them. This often led to conflict between the two groups. Interestingly, about 22 percent of Australia's current population claims descent from the prisoner settlers.
The arrival of white settlers to the country during those periods also triggered another major human rights issue that is still relevant to Australian society up to this point, that of the discrimination against indigenous Australians or the Aborigines. One major point of contention was the displacement of the indigenous people from their native lands. These were often conducted through military campaigns which had resulted in the death of many Aborigines. Though the Aborigine population has already made a comeback in the twentieth century and has in fact now become fully integrated into Australian society, this one is still a very much studied topic on the issue of human rights.
Another thing of particular interest in the matter of human rights in Australia is that of the so called Stolen Generations. The Stolen Generations were an estimated 100,000 Aboriginal children forcibly taken away from their families by the Australian government during the period from 1880 to 1969, supposedly for the purpose of rescuing and giving them a more decent life. This policy has been heatedly questioned by both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups. These groups have vigorously campaigned in years to return the children to their families, to which the government has positively responded. In 2008, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made history when he issued a public apology on behalf of the government to the affected families. This was overwhelmingly received by many people in the country.
Today, Australia still faces many human rights issues as it deals with modern matters such as terrorism and globalization. However, the country is handling this pretty well, not only for those living 8in the country, but also for those wanting to move in.
However, contrary to what many people might think, this has not always been the case in the country. In fact, Australia's history chronicles many instances of intense struggle to attain individual rights. The country was initially started as a penal colony for convicts from Britain in the 1700's. Here, they were often treated as second class citizens in contrast to the freemen that arrived with them. This often led to conflict between the two groups. Interestingly, about 22 percent of Australia's current population claims descent from the prisoner settlers.
The arrival of white settlers to the country during those periods also triggered another major human rights issue that is still relevant to Australian society up to this point, that of the discrimination against indigenous Australians or the Aborigines. One major point of contention was the displacement of the indigenous people from their native lands. These were often conducted through military campaigns which had resulted in the death of many Aborigines. Though the Aborigine population has already made a comeback in the twentieth century and has in fact now become fully integrated into Australian society, this one is still a very much studied topic on the issue of human rights.
Another thing of particular interest in the matter of human rights in Australia is that of the so called Stolen Generations. The Stolen Generations were an estimated 100,000 Aboriginal children forcibly taken away from their families by the Australian government during the period from 1880 to 1969, supposedly for the purpose of rescuing and giving them a more decent life. This policy has been heatedly questioned by both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups. These groups have vigorously campaigned in years to return the children to their families, to which the government has positively responded. In 2008, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made history when he issued a public apology on behalf of the government to the affected families. This was overwhelmingly received by many people in the country.
Today, Australia still faces many human rights issues as it deals with modern matters such as terrorism and globalization. However, the country is handling this pretty well, not only for those living 8in the country, but also for those wanting to move in.
Sources:
Human Rights in Australia, Wikipeda article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_australia
Stolen Generations, Wikipedia article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolen_Generations
Culture Wars
http://www.culturewars.org.uk/2002-12/stolengeneration.htm
Image Sources:
hrea.org
newsroom.uts.edu.au
Human Rights in Australia, Wikipeda article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_australia
Stolen Generations, Wikipedia article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolen_Generations
Culture Wars
http://www.culturewars.org.uk/2002-12/stolengeneration.htm
Image Sources:
hrea.org
newsroom.uts.edu.au
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